Christian Philosophy

I have been familiar with the Christian faith my entire life, but I honestly have to say that I never fully adopted it as my own until I was 21 years old. I was on my own, serving in the Marine Corps, trying to figure out life. I always knew that I needed to turn to God. I could sense it. But I was living a double life, straddling the fence between secular and spiritual. I finally decided to go all in and follow Jesus.

Fast forward a couple of decades and here I am, a little older, a little wiser. But I’m still learning. In fact, learning is something I really enjoy doing. That’s what lead me to my interest in Stoicism and philosophy. When I was facing a time in my life where I desired more self-discipline, I read a lot of books. I read self-help books, spiritual books, books about mindset, books about business, and all sorts of other stuff. I was journaling a lot at that time also. That’s how I discovered the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Through a simple search for “journals,” I landed upon the journal of a great philosopher and Stoic emperor.

Over time I started to notice a lot of overlap in my life between the teachings of Christianity and Stoicism. Though I would never elevate another philosophy to the level of the Christian religion, I feel that Stoicism sort of illuminates parts of the Christian life for me. It, for lack of a better way to explain it, assists me in living the Christian life, and it especially helps me put things into words that I had difficulty with before.

So that’s where this Substack comes in. For years, I wrote daily devotions for a Christian website. I decided it was time to pick that back up, but since I’m not the same person I was when I wrote those, it was time for a different way of doing it. I borrowed the name of Marcus Aurelius’ journal for my own. I hope he doesn’t mind.

Why subscribe?

Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and website. Never miss an update. Get accesses to special content by becoming a paid subscriber.

Stay up-to-date

You won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox.

Join the tribe

There are others out there who share a common interest in living the Christian life and working towards improving everyday. Join the community and be a part of something special.

To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.

Subscribe to Meditations with MJC

Thoughts on life and the guiding principles that lead to the best life, through a Christian worldview

People

Driven by a passion for the Gospel, Matthew J. Cochran is a father and dedicated Christ follower. With a deep-rooted interest in philosophy "MJC" can often be found reading the ancient Stoic philosophers when he isn't studying Scripture.
Just a Traveller making his way in this World as he journeys towards his heavenly home